A Ladies' Day Out & Ladies' Nights

 

 By Laura Medina

This past month has been crammed with a woman's best dreams of a Lady's Night Out and/or a Day Out.

Let's see, the dream started out at Duff Goldman's new Los Angeles outpost, CakeMix in West Hollywood.  It's no mere bakery.  It's a cake workshop.  CakeMix is to cakes as Color Me Mine is to pottery.  A really sweet (yes, pun intended) space where folks can personally decorate their cakes and cupcakes any way they want to.  Don't worry.  Duff and his crew (most of his Baltimore staff moved here for continuity) still bake cakes in out-of-the world flavors for the baking-challenged.

As for making the transition from Baltimore to West Hollywood, Duff said it was pretty easy.  After working with high-maintenance clients ranging from the Mid-Atlantic to New York, he said he works with the same groups of people you'll find in Los Angeles since he specialized in speciality cakes.  What really surprised was how neighorhood-ly and how close-knit Los Angelenos are when it comes to their local neighborhood.  They welcomed him with open arms.  Welcome to L.A., Duff!

In return, he welcomed Gilt City Los Angele's "Best of L.A." a.k.a. "Gilt City LA Loves You More!" Showcase, a yummy sampling of what L.A. has the best to offer, yummy cakes that you'll eventually burn off at Cycle House, so you can slide into fashion wunderkind, Jonathan Bash's slinky and swingy ingenue haute couture.

Los Angeles is also the home and the capital of "haute healthy," upscale homeopathic and holistic juices and beauty brews.  First, there were blow-out pit stops then makeup tune-up shops.  Now, there's an healthy hair treatment bar, Broot, think of "hair smoothies" they use as masks to coat and feed frazzled, stressed-out tresses.  Broot was there, braiding, at Gilt City Los Angele's "Best of L.A." showcase, along with Earthly Juices, representing the current rage for nutrients-saving cold-pressed juice tonics and smoothie concoctions, to balance out all these delicious cupcakes.

Ok, Duff again...he made peace with cupcakes to the point he allowed guests to decorate their own cupcakes.

A buffet of delectable bites and bubbling Prosecco from Cecconi’s West Hollywood fueled the guests from getting their blow-outs at Serge Normant at John Frieda station then a eyeshadow touch-up by The Fairest Makeup Studio.  To polish off the evening, Livingston Nails & Express Spa gave people nail art, not the press-on manicure stickers but real hands-on (again, pun intended) customized "nail artwork" where the manicurists swooped tips and dotted polka dots using toothpicks.  This scribe still has her "Reversed French" with creamy ivory dots.

 

If Gilt City Los Angele's "Best of L.A."was a ladies' night out, then the "Pamper Me Fabulous" expo was a Ladies' Sunday.  Close to 1,200 women had lined-up three blocks long, since the early break of dawn, to sample, shop at a deep discount, retreat, relax, refresh the best and the most innovative in nutrition, beauty, and seminars for mind and spirit.

The ivory-chiseled venue, Vibiana both played host inside and outside.  The interior was a bazaar of beauty and healthy and it didn't end there.  The parking lot had the latest in trucks...the fashion and jewelry trucks where the boutique comes to you.

The courtyard courted women with the latest in activewear, an organic liqueur bar, and a symposium lecturing on relationship advice to plastic surgery.  There's even a yoga spot.  

One of the highly anticipated Sundays of the year, "Pamper Me Fabulous" is a Sunday afternoon event produced by women, made for women.

 Stila's Global Director of Education & Spokesperson, Sara Lucero.

Now that everyone recharged during their "Pamper Me Fabulous" Sunday afternoon, it is time for another Ladies' Night Out, a power pow-wow, Women in Sports and Events a.k.a. "WISE."  This night is "Sport Your Beauty Event" at Brentwood's Vicente Hair Salon.

Their guest of honor for the evening is Stila's Global Director of Education & Spokesperson, Sara Lucero.  WISE consider having Stila as a sponsor a great honor.  Accompanying Sara is Janice Nickloff, Global PR Director for Stila Cosmetics,..

 “We are honored to support and partner with an organization like WISE that shares the same core values as Stila to empower women. We look forward to working with all of these talented and inspirational business women, learning from their success, and celebrating their beauty.” 

To support women being the best version of themselves, Stila Cosmetics has joined forces with WISE Los Angeles as a corporate sponsor.

 “We are excited to have Stila Cosmetics join us, with their long-standing commitment to helping women celebrate their individual styles,” said Alex Mallen, President of WISE Los Angeles. “Stila provides inspiration through design and innovation by helping women celebrate their talents to leave their professional and personal legacy behind to inspire others.” 

Women sport executives and marketing executives exchanged ideas and of course, business cards, amidst blow-outs and Stila makeovers.  The ideas bantered back-and-forth were rich in potential for social change as they are transformative in the sport industry.  The guests left not just with a polished appearance.  They left with a night full of ideas that not only enrich women professionals but for society as well.

(Wo)man...what a day and nights!